Maine island lightkeeper's house to become inn

Saturday

Feb 23, 2013 at 12:15 PM

Maine island's turn-of-the-century lightkeeper's house to be reopened inn

ISLE AU HAUT, Maine (AP) — A century-old lightkeeper's house listed on the National Register of Historic Places has been sold, and the new owner plans to reopen it as an inn on this Maine island this summer.

Marshall Chapman, a college professor and longtime island summer resident, purchased the property recently from longtime owners Jeffrey and Judith Burke. The Knowles Company, a Northeast Harbor-based real estate firm that handled the sale, said the property had been listed for $1.9 million and sold for $1.5 million.

The 2-acre oceanfront property includes a four-bedroom, turn-of-the-century lightkeeper's house, a guest house, several cottages, a boathouse and a deep-water dock.

The town of Isle au Haut maintains ownership of the granite and brick light tower, which was built in 1907 to guide fishermen to safety during fierce winter storms.

Former Peace Corps volunteers who moved to Maine after spending time in California, the Burkes purchased the old light station in 1986, renovated the property and opened it as the Keeper's House inn. It became a popular destination for people from around the world and was featured in newspapers, magazines and television.

The inn was closed when the Burkes retired several years ago and placed the property on the market.

Chapman, an associate professor of geology at Morehead State University in Kentucky in the offseason, plans to reopen the inn for business this summer, with the Burkes staying on as consultants. He became interested in the property years ago as a student studying the geology of Isle au Haut.

Isle au Haut, which means high island in French, is located about six miles from the mainland and is accessible by private boat and daily passenger ferry service from Stonington.